Lesson 4/Activity 1: Oral/Visual Myth Creation

Lesson 4/Activity 2: In Defense of Digital Creation

“Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder” - Thomas Aquinas^[1]

^[2]

This book references not only some of the world’s most cherished myths, but also historical explanations, images, folklore and what these myths mean for us today.

Benchmark:

11.9.5.5 Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

ISTE Standard - Digital Citizenship - Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. (a) - advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.

ISTE Standard - Digital Operations and Concepts - Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Learning Target:

I can apply existing ideas to create new ideas, and express those ideas in an original way.

I can create a dynamic product using digital tools.

Essential Questions:

Why must the digital content that I publish maintain my integrity and be appropriate?

In what ways can I use digital media to show what I know? (11.9.5.5, ISTE.S.1.a, ISTE.S.6.b)

You Will Need:

Four or Five Days

Access to Digital Tools

Collaborative Writing

Video Creation

Activity:

Please complete the eight (8) steps in order.

STEP 1:

View the short video explaining the purpose and function of Myths. Watch for WHY myths were created. Later in this activity, you will be creating your own myth.

Greek Myths Explained

STEP 2:

Create some Myth Story ideas- SETUP

Typically, myths were created to explain our universe, or why humans do what they do. In 500+ years, students will wonder how the internet and social media came to be. People will have forgotten all about Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, or who created the internet, so humans will most likely create a story to explain it.

Let’s have some fun and create a zany myth with monsters, gods and goddesses, or humans and animals that explains the creation of the internet and social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc).

Keep in mind that in order for the internet and social media to be created, there had to have been a NEED for it. You can create that need as a team. The need can be realistic or completely unrealistic. Remember, myths don’t have to be TRUE!

STEP 3:

Build a Team or 2 - 4 Myth writers.

Let’s have even more fun and create this myth with a team of 2 to 4 students, using the internet and social media!! How ironic!!

Initial TASK - With your new team of myth writers, discuss the importance of maintaining integrity while building appropriate products online. Then write a mission statement for creating digital content as a team. Remember, everything you build online, can be viewed by many or all people. Use the information below to assist in writing your mission statement.

Digital Creators lose integrity in the following ways:

Steal and use what is already created and copyrighted
Undermine other people, groups of people, businesses, or corporations.
Create something that degrades or puts down other people.
Break agreements with co-creators (missing deadlines, meetings, or elements)

Digital Creators are inappropriate when:

They use language in the product or the process (chat, messaging, e-mail, etc).
They include images that are not suitable for ALL people.
They include their own political, religious, or social opinions in a product created by a group of creators.

STEP 4:

Reach some agreements about how the myth will play out. Then divide up the story into as many parts at you have team members. For example, if you have 3 writers you could break the story into three parts.

STEP 5:

Write the story parts and put them all together.

STEP 6: